It’s Not Just About Online – the Effective Offline Media Guide
Living in a digital era where the online world is the bread and butter of business life, it’s easy to believe that offline marketing methods are a thing of the past. Just because you run a business online, doesn’t mean you should forget about these great offline marketing methods that once helped the big brands get to where they are today.
Networking
The power of face-to-face interaction is huge. We remember the conversations we have in person much more than the interactions we have online. Putting a face to the name is a great way to help build business relationships and give your business some personality. Make sure you are aware of all the relevant networking opportunities in your local area and you are actively attending as many as possible to engage with other business-minded individuals to help generate future leads or referrals.
Print advertising
Although it’s much more difficult to track the return on investment for print marketing than it is for online adverts, it doesn’t mean to say it doesn’t deliver results. Ensure you are running your advert in a publication that targets the same audience as you. To help catch the attention of your target audience, aim to include coupons or offers to incentivise readers and generate new leads.
Cold Calling
It’s dreaded by most, but as well as helping to secure sales, cold calling can actually help you build business relationships. Cold calling is a much better way to initiate an interaction between you and the decision-maker, rather than sending an email they can simply ignore. To ensure your cold calling efforts don’t go to waste, prior to picking up the phone determine what you are going to discuss and always research each company individually.
Direct mail
Direct mail campaigns are highly targeted and can be tailored to a specific location or audience. Even with the digital world taking over, direct mail campaigns are still very much a popular means of marketing. Don’t just send a boring letter that will more than likely get mixed up with unopened junk mail – be creative and design something unique. There are software solutions out there that can personalise these mail campaigns to reduce the risk of your carefully created design getting caught up with junk mail.
Sponsorships
Providing sponsorship for a local charity event, sports team or festival is a great way to throw your business name out into the community, capturing audiences and exposing them to your products or services. It’s not just the businesses with the biggest budgets that can utilize sponsorship opportunities – sometimes something as small as offering temporary office space for the organisers will suffice.
Trade exhibitions
Consider attending trade exhibitions where you can network with other like-minded business leaders and prospective customers. It’s also a great way to suss out the competition and get a gauge of what they are doing to pull in customers and to also get a sneak peak of their marketing material. It’s essential that you come prepared with an army of business cards, leaflets, brochures and vouchers to maximise lead generation.
Developing a strategy that works for your business and its audience isn’t easy. Don’t take on marketing your company alone, let us help with planning, execution and campaign review. Get in touch today!
Square Media is Northamptonshire’s premiere Web Design & Marketing Agency experienced in developing effective content and marketing strategies for forward-thinking companies in the local area. Our team of specialists consistently deliver outstanding results working in a variety of areas such as Search Engine Optimisation, Social Media Marketing Consultancy, Pay Per Click (PPC) and AdWords Management amongst a wide range of other services.
